Full Mesh Wig Cap

ABSTRACT

A wig (which may also be used as a cranial prosthetic) is based on a cap formed exclusively of an open-weave mesh material. Individual hairs are hand-tied to the mesh, creating a final product that is able to be styled (e.g., parted, braided, and the like) in the same manner as a natural head of hair. A wig cap formed exclusively of mesh material eliminates the need for backing material (used to stitch together dissimilar wig cap materials), and as a result eliminates the creation of raised seams that are uncomfortable for the wearer and prevent the “restyling” of the wig&#39;s hairdo. The all-mesh wig cap, within individual hairs hand-tied at all locations around the cap, allows for the individual wearing the wig to re-style the hair in the same manner as natural hair.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/824,956, filed Mar. 27, 2019 and herein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a styleable wig (which may also be usedas a cranial prosthetic) that is based upon the use of a scalp capformed exclusively of a mesh-like material (i.e., open-weave fabrics)into which individual hairs are tied so as to create a final productthat is able to be styled (e.g., parted, braided, and the like) in thesame manner as a natural head of hair.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Wigs are used to conceal hair loss in a variety of situations (and areworn by both men and women who suffer hair loss). For example, a wig maybe worn by a patient undergoing a treatment such as chemotherapy toavoid the hair loss from affecting her/his quality of life. Personssuffering from alopecia or various forms of lupus also suffer from hairloss are another group that often wear a wig at all times (wigs orhairpieces worn for medical reasons may also be referred to a “cranialprosthetic”).

A conventional wig (or cranial prosthetic) typically consists of a scalpcap formed stitching together of a plurality of mesh-like cloth stripsthat are spliced and seamed together so as to fit against the head.Backing material of a stiffer fabric is typically included along theseams to ensure that the pieces remain joined. Unfortunately, thebacking material is necessarily denser that the mesh and, the seamlocations are relatively thick and uncomfortable for the wearer.Particularly when used as a cranial prosthetic, these seam locations maybe particularly irritating to a person who is undergoing treatment thatrenders the skin more sensitive than usual.

The conventional wig caps are not considered to be well-ventilated,given the need to utilize the relatively dense backing material. Somemay also require the use of elastic bands around the outer perimeter(and perhaps within interior portions of the cap), making the wearing ofa wig for extended periods of time further uncomfortable.

Equally problematic is the inability to affix hairs along seamlocations, which limits the ways the hair may be styled without exposingthe seams. Indeed, most wigs are made to have a fixed hairstyle, createdas the individual hairs are woven into the scalp product. Once in place,the wearer cannot change the style, or perform any modifications, such achanging the location of a part in the hair, braiding the hair, or thelike.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The needs remaining in the art is addressed by the present invention,which relates to a styleable wig (which may also be used as acranialprosthetic) that is based upon the use of a cap formedexclusively of an open-weave mesh material. Individual hairs may thus bepositioned at virtually any location on the cap, providing completecoverage in the form of a dense head of hair (i.e., without “gaps” atseam locations). The use of the inventive all-mesh wig cap in accordancewith the present invention creates a final product that is able to bestyled (e.g., parted, braided, and the like) in the same manner as anatural head of hair.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a wig capformed exclusively of mesh material eliminates the need for backingmaterial (or any sort of strips of a denser fabric), and as a resulteliminates the creation of raised seams that have been found to beuncomfortable for the wearer (particularly in the case of a cranialprosthetic, where the person may already have an increased sensitivityin the scalp region). The utilization of an all-mesh wig cap alsoimproves the “breathe-ability” of the cap, providing significantly moreventilation for the wearer than prior art caps formed of a variety ofdifferent materials.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the use of an all-meshwig cap, with individual hairs hand-tied (the hand-tying process alsoreferred to at times as “ventilation”) at all locations around the cap,allows for the individual wearing the wig to re-style the hair in thesame manner as natural hair. That is, since there are no visible “seams”formed in the inventive wig cap, the hair may be parted at any locationwithout exposing sections of the cap not covered by hair.

In further accordance with the present invention, the mesh material usedin the formation of the inventive wig cap may comprise any suitable typeof open-weave mesh material, for example, any type of tule (includingelasticized tule), gauze, netting, or any woven/printed material (forthe sake of brevity, the remainder of this disclosure will use the term“mesh” as a general term that covers all of the various open-weavematerial that may be used to form a wig cap in accordance with thepresent invention).

Different embodiments of an all-mesh inventive wig cap may be based onmesh materials of different “densities”, often defined in terms of thenumber of open spaces (holes) per linear inch in a given fabric. Wigcaps used as a cranial prosthesis may use a mesh with a relatively highnumber of holes per inch, allowing for a larger number of individualhairs per inch to be attached to the mesh cap. Alternatively, a wig capused as a conventional “wig” that is worn over thinning hair may bebased on a mesh material with fewer holes per inch; providing the sametype of coverage but at perhaps a reduced cost as a result of less laborand materials being required.

One exemplary embodiment of the present invention takes the form of awig formed on a scalp cap consisting solely of open-weave mesh material.The “size” of the selected mesh material is defined by the number ofholes per linear inch formed in the material, where different all-meshscalp caps may be formed of mesh of different sizes (for differentneeds). In the formation of the wig, individual hairs are separatelyattached to specific holes in the mesh material of the scalp cap, thelarge number of individual hairs forming a wig having a defined densityof hair, related to the size of the open-weave mesh material.

Other and further aspects and features of the present invention willbecome apparent during the course of the following discussion and byreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings, where like numerals represent like partsin several views:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary all-mesh wig cap formed in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of the all-mesh wig cap of FIG. 1,illustrating the placement of individual hairs at various spaces withinthe mesh material;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view from the underside of a completed wig formed on theinventive all-mesh cap, the underside view clearly showing the densityof hairs that may be formed on the inventive wig cap;

FIG. 5 shows the positioning of a wig, here used as a cranialprosthesis, on a young patient, with FIG. 5(a) showing the initialpositioning of the wig over the patient's scalp, FIG. 5(b) showing anattachment of the wig to the scalp, and FIG. 5(b) showing the finalpositioning of the wig, providing the look of natural hair;

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary wig as formed on the inventive all-mesh wigcap, in this case styled to include several ponytails;

FIG. 7 is a different view of the styled wig of FIG. 6, showing one ofthe parts created to divide the hair into sections for forming theponytails;

FIG. 8 is an enlargement of the view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows the same wig as illustrated in FIG. 6, in this case styledto have a central braid formed from front to back; and

FIG. 10 is a close-up illustration of the styling of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary scalp cap 10 formed in accordance withthe present invention and used to form a cranial prostheses/wig that maybe styled in any manner desired by the wearer. Unlike various prior artwig caps, scalp cap 10 is formed exclusively of a single type of meshmaterial 12, shown in a close-up inset as part of FIG. 1. The use of auniform type of mesh material for the complete wig cap eliminates theneed to stitch together dissimilar materials forming a cap (as is thecase for prior art wig caps), where these raised seams are known to beuncomfortable for the wearer (the seam areas also preventing the wearerfrom re-styling his/her hair).

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the “size”of mesh material 12 (in terms of the number of openings per linear inch)is selected to provide the desired density of hair in the final product.This will be discussed below in association with FIG. 3. There are alsodifferent processes that may be used to attach the individual hairs tomesh material 12, with preferred methods including hand-tying or hookingthe hairs between the warp and weft threads forming an individual hole.The density of the final product is also a function of how manyindividual hairs are tied to a given mesh opening. That is, one hair, orseveral hairs, may be introduced into each opening in the meshstructure. The result is a natural look, with the wearer able to partthe hair at any desired location (instead of a “fixed” part, astypically found with today's wigs).

Advantageously, the use of only mesh material in wig cap 10 provides asufficient degree of elasticity for the wig to be stretched over thehead for placement, while then remaining snugly fit in place once inposition. An adhesive is typically used around the edges of the cap toaffix the wig to the scalp. When used as a cranial prosthetic, anadditional amount of adhesive may be applied to the top of the scalp toensure that the wig will stay in place. Various adhesives are known tobe acceptable for this purpose, preferably adhesives that arewater-resistant and do not irritate sensitive skin. For example,silicone-based adhesives that are used for bio-medical applications maybe used to affix the wig/cranial prosthetic to the scalp. It has beenfound that these silicone-based adhesives are strong enough to allow anindividual to wear a wig for weeks at a time.

Indeed, the ability to wear a wig based on the inventive scalp cap foran extended period of time (up to three weeks or more) may be attributedto the use of only mesh fabric in the construction of the wig cap, whichincreases the “breathe-ability” of the wig cap (i.e., forms a“well-ventilated” wig cap) compared to prior art caps formed of multipletypes of fabrics.

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of a section of a wig being formed on mesh cap10. This view illustrates an “empty” portion 10A of cap 10, where theindividual hairs have not yet been placed. Also shown is a “filled”portion 10B, clearly showing the individual hairs that have been tied tothe openings in mesh fabric 12. Also evident in this view is a joiningsection 14, which splices together two separate pieces of mesh fabric 12to form mesh cap 10. Joining section 14 requires minimal stitching, andsince the same type of mesh fabric is being spliced together, there isno formation of a raised seam as prevalent in prior art wig cap designs.Referring again to portion 10B, the view of FIG. 2 clearly shows theindividual strands of hair that are tied to each opening of the meshfabric 12.

FIG. 3 is an even closer view of the configuration of FIG. 2, clearlyillustrating the individual attachment of individual hair strands tospecific locations of the mesh. FIG. 4 is a view of an underside of afinished wig 40 (with the understanding that wig 40 may be used as acranial prosthetic in a particular application). The attachment ofthousands of individual hairs clearly results in a full, dense coverageof mesh material 12.

Different embodiments of the inventive wig cap may be based on meshmaterials of different “densities”, often defined in terms of the numberof open spaces (holes) per linear inch in a given fabric. As mentionedabove, wig caps used as a cranial prosthesis may use a mesh with ahigher number of holes per inch than a wig cap that is worn overthinning hair. FIG. 4 is a view from the underside of a wig formed on anexemplary “high density” all-mesh wig cap. The coverage provided by theindividual hairs is clearly evident in this view.

It is to be understood that the mesh material used in the formation ofthe inventive wig cap may be created by weaving an individual thread (orthreads) of cotton, silk or a suitable polyester material (for example,nylon). Alternatively, a suitable open-weave mesh material may becreated by using a “stamping” process to produce a fabric having apredetermined number of holes per linear inch. In general terms,materials such as gauze, netting, or tule are suitable for forming a wigcap in accordance with the principles of the present invention, withelasticized versions of any of these materials also considered as viablealternatives. It is to be understood that the mesh material may exhibitany suitable color; some examples may use a color similar to thewearer's skin color, other examples may use a more “transparent” type ofcolor.

FIG. 5 shows a process of fitting an exemplary wig (here, used as acranial prosthetic) on a young person. As mentioned above, dabs of aproper adhesive material are placed on selected areas of the scalp sothat once the mesh cap comes into contact with the adhesive, it willremain fixed in place (usually, for an extended period of time which maybe up to 3 weeks or more).

FIG. 5(a) particularly illustrates an initial positioning of a cranialprosthesis 50 based on inventive wig cap 10 on the scalp of a patient.An exposed perimeter portion of mesh material 12 is particularly evidentin this view, with the hand-tied individual hairs 54 shown best on aside area of wig cap 10. With the adhesive disposed at various locationsaround the scalp, cranial prosthesis 50 is attached to the scalp, asshown in FIG. 5(b). The exposed perimeter of mesh material 12 is evidentin this view as well, which now clearly shows the density of individualhairs 54 across the patient's scalp. Once the fitting is completed, theexposed portions of mesh material 12 are cut off, resulting in the“finished” placement of cranial prosthesis 50 as shown in FIG. 5(c).While a central part 52 is shown in this view, it will be understood(particularly with reference to the following discussion) that virtuallyany suitable type of hairstyle can now be enjoyed by the patient afterfitting with this cranial prosthesis.

As mentioned above, one advantage of the all-mesh wig cap of the presentinvention is the ability to re-style the hair in the same manner as“natural” hair. FIGS. 6-10 illustrate this advantage, where FIGS. 6-8show a first styling of the wig to form several “ponytails” at differentlocations around the head and FIGS. 9-10 depict the creation of “braids”in the same wig. In particular, FIG. 6 shows an exemplary wig 60 formedon the inventive all-mesh wig cap 10 of the present invention. In thisview, the hair is shown as styled to include several separate ponytails,with an ear-to-ear part 62 formed across the width of the scalp. FIG. 7is a different view of this same wig 60, with the same ponytail wigstyle as shown in FIG. 6, where this view also shows the inclusion of afront-to-back part 64 that is also included in this particular hairstyle. FIG. 8 is an enlargement of the view of FIG. 7, where the naturalstyle of part 64 is evident is this enlarged view.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show the same wig 60 as depicted in FIGS. 6-8, but inthis case re-styled to include a central braid 70 formed from the frontto the back. FIG. 10 is a close-up view of braid 70, also showing indetail the part 72 formed alongside braid 70.

Clearly, these are only two styles that may be made; it is an aspect ofthe present invention that the use of an all-mesh wig cap providesendless varieties in how the hair may be styled.

In places where the description refers to specific embodiments of wigsand related methods one or more modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Details ofany specific embodiment/implementation described herein may, wheneverpossible, be applied to any other specific implementation/embodimentsdescribed herein, with all such variations considered as falling withinthe scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wig comprising a scalp cap consisting solely ofopen-weave mesh material having a size determined a number of holes perlinear inch formed in the mesh material; and a plurality of individualhairs, each hair separately attached to a selected hole in the meshmaterial of the scalp cap, the plurality of individual hairs positionedon the scalp cap to form a wig having a defined density of hair, relatedto the size of the open-weave mesh material.
 2. The wig as defined inclaim 1 wherein the scalp cap is formed of two or more pieces ofopen-weave mesh material, spliced together along mating edges in amanner that maintains a uniform mesh size for the scalp cap.
 3. The wigas defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of individual hairs aremanually attached to the scalp cap.
 4. The wig as defined in claim 3wherein the plurality of individual hairs are hand-tied to threadssurrounding selected holes in the open-weave mesh material.
 5. The wigas defined in claim 1 wherein the open-weave mesh material is selectedfrom the group consisting of: tule, netting, and gauze.
 6. The wig asdefined in claim 5 wherein the composition of the open-weave meshmaterial is selected from the group consisting of: silk, cotton, andnylon.
 7. The wig as defined in claim 1 wherein the mesh materialexhibits a number of holes per linear inch sufficient to utilize the wigas a cranial prosthetic, covering a head without any natural hair.